Mantra is a sound or group of sounds, sacred, potent both due to vibration and message. There’s a rather detailed and excellent Wiki devoted to the meaning, history and philosophy of mantra, but I’d like to share something more specific and to purpose with you if you have a moment or two to consider deeply.
Perhaps the most popular mantra, the single syllable OM is, in its own right, a cornerstone of the entire science of Yoga. It is the beginning of most multi-syllable/word/stanza mantras and the ending of many as well. Everything can be said to be contained within this one syllable, so what really is the point in intoning anything more?
Look at the Gayatri Mantra.
It is a high mind that meditates on the meaning of the Gayatri Mantra. Higher still is the one that understands it. But what is the power? What is to be obtained? A boon from the Mother? The divine light of intellect? The Gayatri Mantra set to music can be heard cascading over the airwaves of Indian towns, North to South, in the morning and evening. Do the townsfolk reap a benefit? I personally have listened to, repeated, perfectly pronounced, sang and chanted the Gayatri mantra tens of thousands of times — now what is that particular manifestation of power that should reveal itself in me?
Gayatri Mata, consort of Shiva — some say the wife is the most powerful presence in the house. Some say it is the father. It is an argument that finds no winner. But Shakti would not exist without Shiva and vice versa. That is the law. So whose mantra is more powerful, Shiva’s or Shakti’s? There needs to be a goal. What is being invoked? in fact, maybe I should just go all the way and tell you that actually it’s not about Shiva or Shakti’s power at all. It’s about yours.
Take the Atmashatkam Shivo’ham Mantra for instance. How efficacious of a mantra do you suppose this might be if you could but achieve such a mind that could chant this with innocence and integrity. The entire Advaita Vedanta is summarized herein. Look. I’ll reprint the 6 stanzas for you.
1) I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego, nor the reflections of inner self. I am not the five senses. I am beyond that. I am not the ether, nor the earth, nor the fire, nor the wind (i.e. the five elements). I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
2) Neither can I be termed as energy (Praana), nor five types of breath (Vaayu), nor the seven material essences (dhaatu), nor the five coverings (panca-kosha). Neither am I the five instruments of elimination, procreation, motion, grasping, or speaking. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
3) I have no hatred or dislike, nor affiliation or liking, nor greed, nor delusion, nor pride or haughtiness, nor feelings of envy or jealousy. I have no duty (dharma), nor any money, nor any desire (refer: kama), nor even liberation (refer: moksha). I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
4) I have neither virtue (punya), nor vice (paapa). I do not commit sins or good deeds, nor have happiness or sorrow, pain or pleasure. I do not need mantras, holy places, scriptures, rituals or sacrifices (yajna). I am none of the triad of the observer or one who experiences, the process of observing or experiencing, or any object being observed or experienced. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
5) I do not have fear of death, as I do not have death. I have no separation from my true self, no doubt about my existence, nor have I discrimination on the basis of birth. I have no father or mother, nor did I have a birth. I am not the relative, nor the friend, nor the guru, nor the disciple. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
6) I am all pervasive. I am without any attributes, and without any form. I have neither attachment to the world, nor to liberation. I have no wishes for anything because I am everything, everywhere, every time, always in equilibrium. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
Can you even imagine what kind of power comes from the attainment of such a mind? Probably not. So maybe start a little smaller.
Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, also known as Rudra Mantra or Tryambakam Mantra will remove the fear of death. This is an odd mantra with some scholarly debate around it due to the suffix ambaka, meaning eye, also being transliterated as ambika, an epithet of the Maa, making the salutation either to the Three-eyed Lord, or, to the three Mothers respectively. So would three mothers be more powerful than one? Or would the three eyes be more powerful? One of those eyes even birthed Kali Ma! And let’s not forget that another name for another consort of Lord Shiva, Lalita Devi, is in fact, Tryambaka.
Then there is the Kalachakra Mantra/Tantra offered by the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism — a rather awesome practice. It is the mantra of the heart chakra. Personally I love it when it’s set to music! But again, I have recited this mantra tens of thousands of times. What does that make me?
It’s an odd question — the question of power. My own Guru would tell me not to even consider it such but rather consider the state of empowerment in terms of enhanced awareness. It really begs the question of the personal intention, doesn’t it? What does one wish to accomplish through the focus on a word or a thought? Is it enough to be able to stop a hurricane, or do you want to be able to start one, too? And can you do either of those two things on your own without the cooperation of Nature? Do you want to stop a war, even now as one looms yet again between the U.S. and Iran, or do you want to start one? Are you looking to manifest riches for personal gain or achieve self-realization for the benefit of the entire universe?
Om Namah Shivaya, a sacred five-syllable mantra, imbued with all the power in the universe and all the humility you need to achieve the same, is an excellent mantra for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Chant it one million times, slowly, considerately; it will soon become yours and with every breath will draw you closer and closer to the infinite.
